Monarch renews £20 discount on all flights

Book by midnight, May 1: Monarch has re-launched its £20 off summer fare promotion.

The no-frills carrier is offering the discount on all of its routes and seats between now and November 2.

People looking to take advantage of the deal should look out for the "Sale Fare" logo on the airline's website, and travellers are reminded that the offer applies to online bookings only.

Virgin offers special fares to China

Book by 10pm, May 6: Virgin Atlantic is offering sale fares to two of China's most popular city destinations.

The airline is giving travellers the chance to jet off to Hong Kong or Shanghai from London Heathrow on discounted economy class fares.

People looking to visit the bustling city of Shanghai can now do so from just £458 return, provided they depart before June 18.

BA to raise fuel surcharge

British Airways has announced that the fuel surcharge on its long and short-haul flights is set to rise.

The operator is hiking the fee by as much as £30 to cover the growing cost of kerosene that it attributed to "continuing high oil prices".

Under the new pricing scheme - which comes into effect on Friday (May 2) - passengers will pay a one-way surcharge of £15 on long-haul flights of more than nine hours.

CAA slams Stansted operations

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has become the latest body to criticise airport regulator BAA over its administration of London Stansted Airport.

BAA came under fire last week after an investigation by the Competition Commission deemed that its monopoly of airports in the south-east of England was facing stifling competition.

Stansted was one of the London airports that the commission singled out for criticism - sentiments the CAA has echoed in its latest report.

EasyJet.com: 'best flights website'

EasyJet.com has been voted the number one website for booking flights by readers of Which? Holiday magazine.

The survey took in the opinions of some 3,000 flyers, with more than one in five naming the low-cost carrier's website as their favourite resource for making a booking.

Sterling.dk offers Scandinavia deals

Book by April 30: Sterling.dk is offering special fares to a number of Scandinavian countries from London Gatwick.

The Copenhagen-based airline is giving UK flyers the chance to book a one-way trip to Denmark, Sweden and Norway from as little as £11.

EasyJet announces Manchester to Alicante service

EasyJet has confirmed it plans to begin operating a new service from Manchester Airport to the Spanish city of Alicante.

The low-cost airline will be running flights four times a week on the new route from September 29, with one-way fares costing from just £27.99 including tax.

Singapore Airlines receives fourth A380

Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of its fourth Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world's largest airliner.

The carrier will be using the double-decker jet to service its new Singapore to Tokyo link, which is due to begin operations on May 20.

It had already received three of the massive aircraft and has been using them on its Singapore to London and Sydney routes since last October.

Lufthansa trials mobile boarding pass

German national carrier Lufthansa is trialling a new mobile boarding pass service on two of its domestic routes.

People who fly with the airline from Hamburg to Munich or Frankfurt can now request an electronic boarding pass via email or SMS text message when they check-in online.

Heathrow 'worst airport in Europe'

Heathrow Airport has been labelled the "worst in Europe" by a senior executive at a major US airline.

Don Langford, head of customer services Europe for American Airlines, described Heathrow as a "bit of a dump" and said it was suffering from chronic under-investment.

Originally designed to handle 45 million passengers, the west London airport is presently used by some 65 million flyers each year.

Air Southwest adds new flights to network

Low-cost airline Air Southwest has launched new Air Southwest flights from Plymouth and Newquay airports, in a major expansion of its regional network.

Air Southwest now offers passengers a choice of flights from Plymouth to Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin and Cork and later this year will begin a winter service to Chambéry, gateway to the French Alps.

Newquay Airport will also offer Air Southwest flights to Glasgow, Newcastle and again later this year a link to Chambéry, with an increased service to Cork following a successful summer-only service last year.

Zoom expands Cardiff to Toronto service

Zoom Airlines has revealed plans to expand its service from Cardiff International Airport to Toronto.

The carrier announced on Friday (April 25) that an additional direct service to the Canadian city will be launched in July this year.

Flights to Toronto will operate on Mondays and Wednesdays with a weekly service to Vancouver departing on Thursdays as part of the carrier's summer schedule, which is due to start at the beginning of May.

Monarch launches Gatwick winter schedule

Low-cost airline Monarch has unveiled its new winter schedule from London Gatwick.

The new timetable will see the carrier double its services to the Canary Islands of Tenerife and Lanzarote, as well as expanding services to numerous other Spanish hotspots.

During the winter season there will now be up to seven weekly flights to Tenerife, up to five to Lanzarote, and as many as 11 connections to both Alicante and Malaga.

New Spanish routes from Norwich Airport

Low-cost carrier LTE is launching three new services to Spain from Norwich Airport.

The airline will begin operating weekly connections to Alicante, Barcelona and Palma on July 5, with one-way fares starting from £69 including all taxes and surcharges.

"We are delighted to welcome LTE to Norwich, for their first scheduled UK services," commented the airport's managing director, Richard Jenner. "They are an established charter airline, having worked with UK tour operators such as Thomas Cook and Thomson."

Silverjet steps in for Eos flyers

Silverjet has offered to make alternative arrangements for passengers affected by the collapse of former competitor Eos Airlines.

The loss-making all-business class carrier declared bankruptcy yesterday (April 27), citing the failure of a last-ditch attempt to raise $50 million (£25 million) from investors.

And with hundreds of passengers now unable to make use of its London Stansted to New York JFK connection, Silverjet has stepped in to accommodate stranded flyers by matching the price of their original fare.

In-flight phones slammed

Trials of a newly-launched in-flight mobile telephone service have yielded less-than-glowing results, The Sunday Times reported yesterday (April 27).

On April 1, Air France became the first carrier to trial the technology - and it has now emerged that much of the feedback revolves around poor quality connections and patchy service.

Experts put the difficulties down to the fact that the calls are routed through a satellite before being transmitted to the ground - but at £2.40 per minute many Air France customers had expected more from the service.

Weekly news round-up

Several airlines have offered passengers some great deals this week, as well as various new routes within Europe.

Flyers planning a trip to the US can do so for less with Virgin Atlantic and Air Canada, while those wishing to journey further a field to Hong Kong can do so at a discounted rate with Cathay Pacific.

Those interested in jetting off to Europe have plenty of new options too. Monarch is resuming its Manchester to Gibraltar service, while Flybe is offering year-round Guernsey to Paris flights. Jet2.com is connecting Newcastle to Corfu and Rhodes and bmi is now serving flights from Cardiff to Barcelona.

Low-cost carrier easyJet also launched three new routes this week. The first will ferry passengers between Glasgow and Faro, while the second will link Bristol Airport to Biarritz, Olbia and Split. The third will link Edinburgh with Nice.

Special Offers
Virgin Atlantic offers special USA fares
Book by 10pm, April 29: Virgin Atlantic is offering a number of special fares to America this summer.

Air Canada offers up to 15% off US flights
Book by April 30: Air Canada is offering up to 15 per cent off economy fares to destinations in the US.

Airports to trial facial-recognition technology

UK airports are to test new automated facial-recognition technology this summer, in a bid to improve security and ease congestion.

The government has revealed that holders of new UK and EU biometric passports will have their faces screened rather than being checked by passport officers.

If the trial is successful, the new technology could be extended to all major UK airports.

East Midlands Airport sees passenger increase

The number of passengers using East Midlands Airport has risen for the eighth successive quarter.

According to figures released by EMA, 1,195,747 people used the airport in the first three months of the year, a rise of 15.2 per cent compared to 2007's volume.

easyJet launches new route to Nice

Low-cost carrier easyJet has launched a new service between Edinburgh and Nice.

The airline welcomed passengers aboard the service's first flight yesterday (April 24), and expects to carry 20,000 flyers on the route over the next 12 months.

New airport not the answer, says Future Heathrow director

The campaign director of Future Heathrow has said that calls for a new airport in the Thames estuary have been rejected after careful consideration.

In a speech to the Royal Aeronautical Society in London yesterday (Aril 24), Lord Soley said that it was time for a "fresh approach" to the discussions on the future of Heathrow, but that a new airport was not the answer.

He said that those in favour of closing Heathrow "seriously underestimate" the cost and the environmental impact of creating a new airport elsewhere.

bmi chairman criticises treatment of airlines

Sir Michael Bishop, the chairman of the bmi group, has said that the majority of airlines at Heathrow are fed up with being treated as second class citizens.

Addressing the Aviation Club in London yesterday (April 24), Sir Michael said the problems at Terminal 5, for which the airlines were "being charged through the nose", were the latest slur on the airport's reputation.

Edinburgh Airport runway closed due to 'hole'

Edinburgh Airport was forced to close one of its major runways yesterday (April 23) after the discovery of a hole.

The Scottish airport was closed to incoming flights for three hours, with planes diverted to Glasgow and Prestwick, after the discovery was made at 3pm.

easyJet launches three new routes from Bristol

Budget airline easyJet launched a service between Bristol Airport and Biarritz yesterday (April 23), and is set to introduce two further routes this weekend.

Services between Bristol and Olbia in Sardinia and Split in Croatia will begin operations on Saturday (April 26) and the airline expects to carry 47,000 passengers on all three new routes over the next 12 months.

David Osborne, easyJet UK general manager, said: "EasyJet has seen a huge increase in flights to summer sun destinations in 2007-2008 from Bristol International Airport, with the arrival of Ibiza, Bordeaux, Milan, Lisbon, Warsaw and Funchal last year.

BA introduces new Docklands to Dublin service

British Airways is introducing a new service from London City Airport to Dublin this summer, as well as increasing the frequency on some of its routes.

The airline announced that from June 1 it will be operating flights between the Docklands airport and the Irish capital three times a day.

It will also provide an additional second daily service between London City and Nice from September, as well as further services linking the airport to Edinburgh.

Lithuanian Airlines launches Palanga service

FlyLAL, also known as Lithuanian Airlines, is to launch a new direct service from London Stansted to Palanga.

From May 17, the Lithuanian national carrier will be operating two weekly flights to the coastal resort town, situated in the west of the country on the Baltic Sea.

Virgin Atlantic voted best for amenities

Virgin Atlantic has been voted the best airline for amenities, according to a new survey by SeatGuru.com.

The poll quizzed more than 1,600 global travellers about in-flight entertainment preferences, asking respondents to rank airlines according to their performance.

Virgin Atlantic secured first place for amenities and Singapore Airlines came on top for quality of airline food. All three top spots for both polls were shared by those two airlines along with British Airways.

Winter flights put on sale by Thomsonfly

Thomsonfly has put many of its flights for the winter 2008/09 season up for sale on its site.

The airline has said its winter timetable, which operates from November, is now live and some of the headline fares available include one-way tickets to Salzburg or Geneva starting from £24.99, while those wanting some sunshine can escape to Malaga or Alicante from £29.99.

Cathay Pacific discounts fares to Hong Kong

Book by May 7: Cathay Pacific is offering special fares to Hong Kong from London Heathrow.

Return fares start at £419, including taxes, fees and surcharges. However, the price may vary on the day of purchase due to fluctuations in the rate of exchange.

Price varies according to date of departure. The minimum stay is three days, while the maximum stay is six months.

bmi launches Cardiff to Barcelona service

Low-cost carrier bmi is launching a new service between Cardiff and Barcelona, beginning on May 24.

Flights will be twice weekly on Tuesday and Saturday, and then from June 18 the airline will also be operating a service on Wednesdays.

Bmi is currently offering sale fares on the new route, starting at £24.99, including taxes and charges.

easyJet welcomes CC report into BAA

Budget airline easyJet has welcomed the Competition Commission's (CC) interim report criticising airport regulator BAA's monopoly over UK airports.

The CC's 'emerging thinking' document, released yesterday (April 22), stated that it was "inclined" to the view that the airport regulator's common ownership was "a feature of the market that adversely affects competition between airports and/or airlines".

Andy Harrison, easyJet's chief executive, described the report as "a major step in the right direction", but called for "a fundamental overhaul of UK airport regulation".

easyJet launches flights from Glasgow to Faro

Low-fare airline easyJet launched its first flight from Glasgow to Faro, Portugal today, offering passengers in Scotland a chance to escape to the sun.

The twice weekly service, operating Tuesday and Saturday, increases to a three times a week service during the busy summer period of June 26 to August 28, with fares starting from £23.99 one way.

The airline expects to carry 16,000 passengers on the route in the next 12 months offering Glaswegians the chance to visit the popular holiday destinations, as Faro is also a favourite among golfers.

David Osborne, of easyJet, said: "Another popular destination on the easyJet network has landed in Scotland. This direct route to Faro has already proven a popular choice and will offer all Scots the opportunity to experience the glorious Algarve from their local airport. Forward bookings for the route have been very strong which further proves the demand for direct low-cost flights from Glasgow to the sun."

Guernsey gets year round link to Paris

Flybe is to operate a year round service between Guernsey and Paris, flying four times a week, from July 11.

One way tickets will start from £29.99 and can be booked from tomorrow (April 23). This news comes soon after the airline announced it would operate flights from Guernsey to Belfast.

CC report: BAA monopoly harmful to passengers

The long-awaited Competition Commission (CC) report has sharply criticised BAA for its monopoly of airports in Scotland and the south-east of England.

Though careful to avoid directly calling for the dissolution of the Spanish-owned regulator, the CC asserted that BAA's ownership of key airports is a direct hindrance to competition.

Department for Transport secretary Ruth Kelly responded by immediately announcing a review of the economic regulation of the UK's airport system.

BAA chief reshuffles board following T5 fiasco

Colin Matthews, the new BAA chief executive, has announced that the airport regulator will be restructuring its top management team in order to focus on improving operations at Heathrow.

The new plans will see the merger of the company's corporate and Heathrow executives, which will join together to form a new executive committee. The managing director of Heathrow, Mark Bullock, will be part of this body.

BAA revealed in a statement that it was also creating a new managing director position responsible for the airport regulator's six other UK airports. This individual will also sit on the newly created committees.

New jobs after Zoom expands Gatwick routes

Low-cost carrier Zoom Airlines has created new jobs at London Gatwick following the expansion of routes from the airport.

More than 60 new positions have been created due to the introduction of twice-weekly services from Fort Lauderdale, starting in May, and San Diego, beginning in June.

The expansion means that Zoom is offering 33 per cent more seats on its schedule this summer than last year.

Air Canada offers up to 15% off US flights

Book by April 30: Air Canada is offering up to 15 per cent off economy fares to destinations in the US.

Fares include taxes, which may vary depending on destination, and travel must be between May 1 and September 30, with flights leaving from London Heathrow.

The minimum stay is one Saturday night, while the maximum stay is one month. Weekend surcharges apply, as do charges if changes to tickets are made.

Poll: What would you leave behind?

This poll is now closed

Imagine a world where anything is possible, where forgetting your worries and travelling without the hassle of taking anything with you are really achievable. Picture yourself heading to the airport with no ticket, no suitcases, and potentially even no clothes. Ahh, if only…

Well, if it were possible, we’d like to know what you’d most likely leave behind. Vote now and tell us what you would enjoy forgetting.

Virgin Atlantic offers special USA fares

Book by 10pm, April 29: Virgin Atlantic is offering a number of special fares to America this summer.

Several major US destinations are included in the deal, with cheap fares being offered to New York JFK, Boston, Chicago, Miami and others.

Return economy tickets start from as low as £297 and have departure dates ranging from May 1 to October 31, depending on the price and destination.

The maximum stay is 12 months while the minimum stay is one Saturday night. Cancellations are not allowed but date changes are permitted at a cost of £100.

Monarch resumes Manchester to Gibraltar service

Monarch has confirmed that it is re-launching its Manchester to Gibraltar service.

The low-cost airline will be running the flights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from September 12, with one-way fares starting from £48 including all taxes and charges.

Newcastle to Corfu and Rhodes from Jet2.com

Jet2.com is to start two new routes to the sun this summer, linking up Newcastle Airport with the holiday destinations of Corfu and Rhodes.

Tickets to the Greek islands are on sale from today (April 21), with one-way fares starting from £69.99 and the first flights to Rhodes start on June 4 and to Corfu on June 30.

Jet2.com’s Philip Meeson said: "The announcement of our new services to Corfu and Rhodes is fantastic news for the North East. Both destinations have lacked direct, scheduled and, importantly, low cost services from Newcastle and we’re delighted to be launching them today.

BAA prepares for long-awaited CC report

Airport regulator BAA is bracing itself for the preliminary findings of a long-awaited report from the Competition Commission (CC).

The Commission will publish a document tomorrow (April 22) outlining the body's "emerging thinking" with regards to an investigation into Spanish-owned BAA's monopoly on British airports.

The document will not give specific details and a provisional report is expected in late summer, while a final report is likely to be revealed by the end of the year.

OpenSkies' 'next-generation' reservations system

The new subsidiary airline from British Airways, OpenSkies (see related Cheapflights story), has chosen a "hybrid reservations system" that will provide travellers with a 'next-generation' booking service.

Radixx, the winner of the Best Technology Provider at the World Low Cost Airlines Congress in 2007, has been picked to provide a system that allows passengers to buy tickets online, by phone or through a travel agent.

Flybe named 'fastest growing' carrier to Germany

Low-cost carrier Flybe has been named the fastest growing budget airline flying to and from Germany.

According to the latest 'Low Cost Monitor' survey issued by the German Centre for Aero and Spacetravel, Flybe has experienced a massive 392 per cent increase in flight ranking over the past 12 months.

Passengers travelling to Germany are now served by 128 weekly flights to five primary airports in Germany, and increase from just 26 flights in 2006/7.

"We're absolutely delighted to be significantly ahead of our competitors in terms of growth in Germany," said Mike Rutter, Flybe's chief commercial officer.

Weekly news round-up

This week has seen a great selection of new routes and discount fares offered to travellers.

Those wishing to get away this May bank holiday can do so for less with jet2.com, while Lufthansa is running special promotional flights to several European destinations. British Airways, on the other hand, is also offering discounted flights to Africa.

Several new routes have also been introduced. Eastern Airways is now operating a non-stop service between Newcastle and Stavanger, as well as an early morning flight from Aberdeen. Iceland Express will also be serving passengers travelling between Gatwick and Reykjavik, while Virgin Atlantic revealed it will shortly be operating a second daily service to Washington from London Heathrow.

Special Offers
Jet2.com offers May bank holiday deal
Low-cost carrier Jet2.com is offering a special bank holiday weekend deal to Leeds, in conjunction with the city's two-day music event.

Lufthansa offers cheap flights to Europe
Book by midnight Tuesday April 22: Lufthansa is running a special promotion for flights to a selection of European cities.

BA increases JFK service, drops Manchester

British Airways has announced it is to increase services between New York JFK and Gatwick, but at the same time drop its link to the US city from Manchester Airport.

The carrier has said that from October 27 it will start daily flights to JFK from Gatwick, boosting capacity from London to JFK to 62 flights a week, with 55 already going from Heathrow.

Birmingham reveals record-breaking numbers

New figures show that Birmingham Airport handled a record-breaking number of passengers last month.

A total of 730,307 people passed through the airport's gates in March, including 595,306 scheduled travellers and 135,001 charter passengers.

That figure amounts to an 8.4 per cent increase when compared with the same month in 2007 and comes on the heels of an equally successful February, when a record breaking 635,000 people used the airport.

SWISS introduces new seats on European fleet

Swiss International Air Lines has completed its update of aircraft seating on its European fleet, allowing customers greater legroom and more comfort.

A total of 52 aircraft now have the innovative Recaro seat in their business and economy class, which have carbon frames and leather upholstery.

Monarch offers up to £20 all return flights

Book by April 22: Monarch is offering up to £20 off return flights.

The offer includes all routes, dates and seats and applies to online scheduled flight bookings only.

Discounts vary according to travel date and route, while base fares may fluctuate in price during the promotion.

Air France offers discounts on long-haul routes

Book by April 18: Air France is offering discounts on flights to the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Return fares start at £258, including taxes.

Destinations include Cairo, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Rio, Dubai, Mumbai and Johannesburg from UK airports including London Heathrow, Glasgow and Birmingham. Travel periods vary between destinations.